Not a lot has been said about this fishing technique since the swimbait came along, but it is still one of the most reliable ways to catch a solid bag of bass on Clear Lake.

There are several key times of year I like to fish crank baits (if by several, I mean all year)
Since it is summer I'll start now:

Summer

Once the spawn is over, the fish start to go about their normal routine, returning to deeper water.  The water starts to green up as a result of the hot summer days. This has been happening lately first on the south end. Now is great time to start throwing the big deep divers like the DD-22; this bait is one of my favorites on this lake.

Target rocky areas with access to deep water. Obviously morning and evenings are going to be best but if you can stay deep enough with your bait or target shaded areas this bite will sometimes be good all day long.

Some of my favorite areas to throw the DD-22 are Horseshoe Bend, Rocky Point, Jago Bay, and the flats between Shag Rock and Buckingham Point and around Rattle Snake island.

I like keep my colors in this bait pretty simple. I only carry a couple crawdad colors and a couple shad imitators.

Crank baits are one of those lures that if you come across a school of the right size baitfish you can go from zero-to-hero in a heartbeat. I have sat in spots in less than 2 hours and caught over 70 fish. Seriously. I say “over 70” because I honestly lost count. Have you ever had a bruised stomach from setting the hook? One day last summer I did.

  A nice 7 pound Clear Lake fish Last August.

Fall

My next favorite time to throw crank baits is fall. The bass will school up just as much if not more this time of year

In the fall you can find fish by watching for birds. The bass will start keying in on coves and pinning baitfish on rock and gravel ledges. It can become an all-out feeding frenzy at times.

This is when the Lucky Craft LV 500 really shines as well as the Speed Trap. I have also experimented with some custom painted Strike King Shad baits and really liked the results.

This can be a really visual time of year as well because of the fact that the water will have started to clear up in a lot of places and you will see a lot of your strikes.

I will focus a lot on banks facing east in fall. It seems the fish know it is going to start getting cold and they are savoring that last bit of sunshine in the rapidly shortening days.

Winter

Winter is hit or miss – one day will be on fire and the next day nothing. I always have a DD-22 tied on in the winter. This is a time where I will focus on sunny banks during the day, and around docks and rocks. If you can find both together near deep water it is ideal.

I will fish a little slower than normal this time of year as the fish are usually not as aggressive, but for a time when most everyone is dragging a jig or drop shot you can really go out and show them something they are not seeing a lot of.

I stick really tight to boulders as well this time of year; it seems the fish will just sit right on them keeping their bellies warm.

Spring

Pre-spawn is a time when I will break out the shallow divers such as the Zenith Big Bite or another one of my favorites the Diawa Bass Hunter. I'll stick with crappie colors and blue gill colors as well as Fire Tiger. The water is usually kind of murky still and they really seem to go after the brighter colors.
I like to use these baits on the north end on flats as well as migrating points from the main body in to coves.

A word about hooks
One thing I want to emphasize is replacing hooks out when needed. A lot of baits are coming with better hooks these days, however most are not. I am guilty of not doing this myself but I lost a couple key fish in tourneys the last couple years and I am currently going through all my bait boxes and replacing all my crank bait hooks with Gamakatsu EWG Hooks. If this has not happened to you (yet) – let me tell you: learn from the mistakes of others on this one. A 3 pound smally in the middle of the winter on Berreyessa would have made a difference damn it!

Rod selection
I want to touch on equipment as well. As most techniques these days require special equipment, the crank bait is no different. It is crucial that you use either a glass rod or a nice moderate action graphite. The moderate action rod will increase your hook up to landing ratio as well, it will absorb those runs the fish take on you to prevent lost fish.

I prefer glass as it absorbs a lot of vibration and when you throw a big deep diver all day, believe me, it makes a huge difference. Throw your baits on as long as a rod you feel comfortable with. You will get more distance which equally more depth on you baits.

This is a great time to get out there and start fishing these baits numbers can be high and the confidence boost even higher.